Registrar: Ursula Mitra
Participants: 10
Weather: Temps 33–39 F, mostly cloudy, almost no wind
Bird Species: 38
It was a cold, overcast day, but exceptionally calm, thankfully. Richard met us at the Colonnade Diner to make sure we could all have a nice coffee and a bathroom break.
We got our first surprise as we were driving past the Staten Island Hospital, where five Wild Turkeys decided to dance in the middle of the intersection, holding up traffic.
But slowly, throughout the day, we learned that Richard had more surprises in store for us. The most remarkable feature of our first stop–the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Ocean Breeze Fishing Peer–was the incredible sound made by 300 Black Scoters at the end of the pier. Also surprising was the lack of any waves and the mirror-like ocean surrounding us. We saw some Common Goldeneye and Common Loon here as well.
Following this, all of us were eagerly awaiting Richard’s next surprise, which turned out to be a male Northern Pintail at the Moravian Cemetery, where Hooded Mergansers and Buffleheads were also present. Sadly, this was the first time we saw what many of us had already heard about: numerous dead Canada Geese in the water along the shores of the cemetery’s pond, presumably stricken with bird flu.
On we went to Miller Field, where the beach was the location of Richard’s next surprise: five Purple Sandpipers, close enough to give us good looks.
Our last stop, at Great Kills, produced five Surf Scoters at considerable distance, as well as many deer and feral cats (some, admittedly, gorgeous.) We concluded the trip at around 2:30, happy that we’d had such a good day. Thank you again, Richard!
Species Lists
Birds
Brant
Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Greater Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Wild Turke
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Sanderling
Purple Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Horned Grebe
Common Loon
Turkey Vulture
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Mammals
White-tailed Deer
Feral cats
